Беседа 22. К юношам о том, как получать пользу из языческих сочинений

I have many urges to advise you, child, which I consider to be the best, and which I am sure, if you accept, will be useful to you. And my real age, and practice in many things, and sufficient knowledge of all sorts of teaching changes have made me experienced in human affairs; why can I show those who have barely entered into life the safest path. Moreover, by natural affinity, I am the first for you after your parents; why, no less than fathers, I myself have goodwill towards you and think about you, unless I am mistaken in my opinion that when you see me, you do not want to see your parents. Therefore, if you willingly accept my words, you will be in the second rank of those praised by Hesiod; otherwise, even if I didn’t say anything unpleasant, remember the verses in which he says: “excellent” is the one who sees what is needed by himself; “good” is also the one who follows the instructions of others; but whoever is incapable of either one or the other is completely useless. Do not be surprised if you, who go to teachers every day and talk with respected men of antiquity through the works they left behind, say that I myself found something more useful. It is about this very thing that I want to give you advice, namely, that you should not, having once forever handed over the helm of the ship to these men, follow them wherever they lead you, but borrowing from them everything that is useful, you must be able to do otherwise and discard it. And what is it and how to distinguish it, this is what I will teach, starting like this. We believe, children, that real human life means nothing at all; We do not at all honor and do not call good that which brings us perfection in this life alone. We do not recognize the fame of our ancestors, nor the strength, beauty and greatness of the body, nor honors from all people, nor the kingdom itself, nor anything else that is called human, as great, even worthy of desire, and we do not look at those who have this, but we extend our hopes further, and do everything to prepare for ourselves another life. Therefore, what helps us towards it, we say that we should love it and strive for it with all our might, and what does not go into it, we should despise as worthless. What kind of life is this, where and how will we spend it? - and it would take longer to talk about this than in accordance with the real intention, and people older than you would have to listen to it. However, perhaps I will show you this enough by saying that if someone puts into words and puts together all the happiness of people since the time of their existence, he will find that this is not equal to the slightest part of the blessings of that life, but on the contrary, all the blessings here are much more distinguished in dignity from the least of those blessings than a shadow and a dream are poorer than reality. It is better to say (I will use a closer example), just as the soul is more honorable in everything than the body, so is the difference between one life and the other. We are introduced into this life, of course, by the Holy Scriptures, which form us through mysterious teachings; but while, due to age, we cannot study the depth of their meaning, we also in other scriptures, not completely distant from them, exercise the spiritual eye for a while, as in some shadows and mirrors, imitating those practicing in military affairs, who, having acquired experience in the deft movement of arms and legs, take advantage of the benefits of this game in the battles themselves. And we, of course, must adhere to the idea that we have before us a feat, the most important of all feats, a feat for which we must do everything, in preparation for which we must work as much as we can, talk with poets, and with historians, and with orators, and with every person who can be of any benefit to the care of the soul. Dyers first prepare what is to be dyed in special ways, and then apply the color, purple or some other color; In the same way, so that our good glory will forever remain indelible, having devoted ourselves to the preliminary study of these external writers, then we will begin to listen to sacred and mysterious lessons, and, as if accustomed to looking at the sun in the water, we will finally turn our gaze to the light itself. Therefore, if there is any mutual affinity between the teachings, then knowledge of them will be useful to us. If there is no such affinity, then studying the difference in teachings, comparing them with each other, serves a lot to confirm the best teaching. But what can we compare each of these teachings to? Of course, it is the tree's own superiority to abound in ripe fruit; but it also wears some decoration - leaves swaying on the branches; So in the soul, truth is the predominant fruit, but it is not without pleasantness even if the soul is clothed with external wisdom, like leaves that serve as a cover for the fruit and do not produce an indecent appearance. Why is it said that that glorious Moses, whose name for wisdom was very great among all people, first exercised his mind with the Egyptian sciences, and then began to contemplate “Existence.” And like him, in later times it is said about the wise Daniel that he studied Chaldean wisdom in Babylon and then already touched on Divine lessons. However, enough has been said that these external sciences are not useless for souls; Now it should be said to what extent you should study them. Firstly, among poets (I’ll start with them), since they are not the same in their works, you don’t need to dwell on everything in order with your mind, but when they retell to you the deeds or sayings of good men, you need to love them, compete with them and, as much as possible, try to be the same. And when they speak to evil people, they should avoid imitating this, stopping their ears in the same way as Odysseus, according to them, blocked his ears from the song of the sirens. For the habit of using unsuitable words serves as a certain path to deeds. Therefore, it is necessary to protect the soul with all possible care, so that, while finding pleasure in words, you do not unnoticed accept something bad, just as others swallow poisonous substances with honey. Therefore, let us not praise poets when they slander, mock, represent lovers and drunkards, or when they limit bliss to a free table and riotous songs. Let us pay less heed to them when they say something about many gods, and those of different minds. Their brother is at odds with his brother, their father is at odds with their children, and the children are again in a secret war with their parents. And the adulteries of their gods, love affairs and obvious acts of adultery, especially the head and ruler of all Diya, as they themselves call him, as such deeds that no one would even talk about cattle without shame, we will leave to the actors. I can say the same about historians, especially when they write history for the entertainment of listeners. And let us not imitate orators in the art of lying. For neither in courts nor in other matters is it proper for us to lie, who have chosen the straight and true path of life - for us, who are prescribed by law not even to go to court. On the contrary, let us rather take from them those places where they praised virtue and condemned vice. For just as for others the enjoyment of flowers is limited to the incense and variety of colors, and the bees collect honey from them, so here too, whoever pursues more than just the sweetness and pleasantness of compositions can obtain from them some benefit for the soul. Therefore, being like bees in everything, you should study these works. For bees do not land on all flowers equally, and from those on which they land, they do not try to take everything away, but, having taken what is suitable for their work, they leave the rest untouched. And we, if we are chaste, having collected from these works what is characteristic of us and akin to the truth, we will pass by the rest. And just as when plucking flowers from a rose bush we avoid thorns, so in these writings, having taken advantage of what is useful, we will beware of what is harmful. Therefore, at the very beginning, each of the sciences must be considered and adapted to the purpose, according to the Doric proverb: “Driving chalk along a rope.” And since our lives must be achieved with the help of virtue, and much has been said in praise of it by poets, much by historians, and even more by wise men, we should pay attention to such especially works. For it is no small benefit if the souls of young men become familiar and accustomed to virtue, because instructions of this kind, due to the tenderness of the souls, are deeply imprinted and remain indelible in them. Can we really suppose that Hesiod, with some other thought, and not to encourage young men to virtue, wrote the following verses, which are repeated by everyone? “The painful path leading to virtue is not smooth and unapproachable at the beginning, it is steep and with much sweat and labor. Therefore, not everyone can climb it because of its steepness, and once you do, it’s not easy to reach the top. But whoever stands at the top sees that the path is smooth and beautiful, easy and convenient, and more pleasant than the other path leading to vice, which does not take long to enter because of its proximity,” as the same poet says. For it seems to me that he wrote this not with any other intention, but to encourage us to virtue and convince everyone to be kind, so that we, having relaxed for work, would not refuse to go towards the goal. So, if there were another who praised virtue in a similar way, let us accept his words as guiding us to do the same. And I heard from one who skillfully studied the thoughts of the poet that just as the entire poem of Omir 78 is a praise of virtue, and everything in Omir, except for the subordinate clause, leads to this goal, so the place where Omir presented that the leader of the Cephalenians escaped naked from a shipwreck 79 and that first the queen, when she should have been ashamed, tends no less to this. seeing him naked, at his very appearance, she felt respect for him; because the poet presented him, instead of clothes, adorned with virtue; Then the other Phaeacians considered him so worthy that, leaving the luxury in which they lived, they all began to look at him and imitate him, and not a single Phaeacian wanted anything more than to become Odysseus, and, moreover, to escape from a shipwreck. In this place, as the interpreter of the poet’s thought said, Omir, almost crying out loud to everyone, says: “You, people, should try about virtue; she saves herself from drowning with a shipwrecked man, and on land brought to nakedness she seems more honorable than the happy Phaeaceans.” Such is virtue! Other acquisitions no more belong to their owners, just as they belong to anyone else, just as a die in a game falls on both sides; one acquisition is inalienable - this is virtue; it belongs to a person both during life and after death. That is why, as it seems, Solon also says to the rich: “But we will not exchange the wealth of virtue with them, because it is always constant, and people’s property is owned by one or the other.” Similar to this is the place in Theognis, where he says that “God (whatever God he meant) tilts people first this or that cup on the scales, so that they may either become rich or have nothing.” And the Khiy sophist Prodicus, in one place of his writings, similarly philosophized about virtue and vice. And you need to delve into his words with your mind, because he is not a man worthy of contempt. It is said there, as long as I remember his thoughts, because I don’t know the words, except that it was said simply, in unmeasured speech: when Herakles, being very young, and at almost the same age as you are now, was discussing which path he should take, whether the one that through work leads to virtue, or the other easiest one, two women approached; and these were virtue and vice, because, although they were silent, the difference was immediately revealed in appearance. In one, the beauty was prepared with the help of ointments; she breathed luxury; constantly carried with her a whole swarm of pleasures, tried to attract Herakles to her. The other was thin, unkempt, looked intently and expressed something similar in herself, because she promised not something easy and pleasant, but thousands of labors, exploits and dangers everywhere - both on land and at sea. And the reward for this is that you can become a god, as Prodicus put it. And Herakles finally followed this woman. And almost everyone who deserves any attention in wisdom, each to the best of his ability, in his writings more or less extended himself in praise of virtue; one must believe them, and one must try to express their teachings in life itself. And whoever justifies the wisdom contained in others in words by deeds, “he alone lives; the rest are just moving shadows” 80. It seems to me that such a course of action is as if the painter was imitating something marvelous, for example, the beauty of a person, and the person really was as he presented him in the picture. For to ardently praise virtue before people, to make long speeches about it, but in private to prefer pleasure to chastity, and profit to justice, I would call imitation of those who perform at the spectacle and often come out to represent kings and owners, not only being neither kings nor owners, but even, perhaps, free. Moreover, a lyre player will not willingly agree that his lyre is not in tune; and the head of the 81 lyric will not want to have a lyric that does not sing as harmoniously as possible. Thus, everyone will be at odds with himself, will imagine a life that does not correspond to the words, will speak in the words of Euripides: “My tongue swore, but my heart did not participate in the oath,” and will be guilty of seeming good instead of being so. But if you believe Plato, it is the extreme limit of injustice to appear just without being so. Therefore, let us thus accept the writings that contain the rules of virtue. Since the valiant deeds of the ancient men were either preserved before us in the continuous memory of people, or preserved in the works of poets and historians, we will not deprive ourselves of the benefit that comes from this. For example, someone in the public assembly slandered Pericles, but he did not pay attention to it, and the whole day continued that one showered the other with curses, and the other did not care at all about it. Then, in the evening and when it was dark, Pericles escorted this man, who had barely stopped scolding, with a lamp, so that his exercise in philosophy would not be in vain. Someone else, angry, threatened Euclid of Megara with death and swore to it. But Euclid himself swore an oath that he would appease him and force him to stop his dislike towards him. How good it is if such examples come to mind for a person when he is already overcome by anger! For one should not believe the tragedy, which without reasoning says: “Irritation arms one’s hand against one’s enemies.” On the contrary, it is best not to become irritated at all. If this is difficult, then at least, holding irritability with your mind, like a bridle, you must not allow it to go beyond its limits. But let us return the word back to the examples of valiant men. Someone, mercilessly attacking Sophroniscus’s son, Socrates, hit him right in the face, but he did not resist, but allowed this drunken man to satiate his anger, so that Socrates’ face was already swollen from the blows and covered with wounds. When he stopped beating, Socrates, as they say, did nothing else, but only, as the name of the artist is written on a statue, he wrote on his forehead: “Did so-and-so”; and thus took revenge. Since this points to almost the same thing as our rules, I affirm that it is very good to imitate such men. For this act of Socrates is similar to the commandment according to which you must offer another to the one who hits you on the cheek (Matthew 5:39) - to such an extent you must take revenge for yourself! And the act of Pericles or Euclid is akin to the commandment: to endure persecutors and meekly endure their anger; and with the commandment: to wish well to enemies, and not to curse them (Matthew 5:44). Therefore, one who has been previously trained in this will not disbelieve the commandments as something impossible. I won’t keep silent about Alexandrov’s action. Alexander, having captured the daughters of Darius, about whom it is testified that their beauty was amazing, did not deign to see them, considering it shameful for the conqueror of husbands to yield victory over himself to women. For this indicates one thing with the commandment that he who looks at a woman for pleasure, although he does not commit adultery by the act itself, is not freed from guilt for allowing desire into his soul (Matthew 5:28). As for the action of Clinias, one of those close to Pythagoras, it is difficult to believe that its similarity with our rules was a matter of chance, and not of careful imitation. What did Cleinias do? By taking an oath, he could avoid the loss of three talents; but it was better to pay them than to swear, although his oath was in a just cause. It was as if, I imagine, he had heard the commandment that forbids us to swear (Matthew 5:33-37). But let us return again to what was said at the beginning, namely, that we do not need to take everything in order, but only what is useful. For it is a shame to reject harmful things in food, and not to make any analysis in the sciences that feed our soul, but, like a spring stream, carrying with it everything that comes across, thereby loading the soul. And what is the calculation in this, if the helmsman does not recklessly surrender to the winds, but guides the boat to a safe place, and the shooter throws an arrow at the target, and the coppersmith and the carpenter strive for the end in accordance with their art, and we will remain lower than these workers, being able to understand our work? And among artisans, their work has a purpose; But for human life there is no goal, looking at which everything should be done and said to someone who does not intend to completely become like the dumb? In this case, just like unequipped ships, without entrusting the helm of the soul to any mind, we will rush hither and thither through life without purpose. But even in competitions with bodily strength, and, if you like, also with musical instruments, they practice precisely those feats for which crowns are offered, and no one practicing in wrestling, also in fist fighting and wrestling together, will learn to play the harp or the flute. At least Polydamus did not do this, but before the Olympic feat he stopped the chariots in their tracks and thereby strengthened his strength. And Milo did not move from the oiled shield when they pulled it down, he resisted no less than the statues soldered with lead. In general, their exercises were preparation for exploits. And if, having left the sand-strewn field and bodily exercises, they took up the rattling of Marsyas or the Phrygian Olympus, would they really receive crowns and glory, and not run away, so as not to be laughed at? But Timofey did not spend time in the battlefields, leaving sweet singing; Otherwise, he would not have been able to surpass him in music, who had so much art that he aroused anger with intense and cruel harmonies, and again tamed and softened it with gentle harmonies. By this, they say, art, having once won a Phrygian song before Alexander, forced him to take up arms in the middle of dinner, and then, softening the sounds, made him return to the feasting. Exercise brings such strength to achieve goals in music and physical feats! But since I mentioned the crowns and the ascetics, I will add: they, having endured thousands of difficulties in a thousand cases, increased their strength by all means, shed a lot of sweat in difficult bodily exercises, took many beatings in school, chose not the most pleasant way of life, but prescribed by the teachers, and in everything else (I will say without expanding) behaving in such a way that their life before the feat was an exercise in the feat, after everything of this they are ready for the field, endure all the labors and dangers in order to receive a wreath from a wild olive, or from a gircha, or from something similar and, having won, earn a proclamation from the herald. Is it really possible for us, who are offered rewards for life that are so amazing in their multitude and greatness that it is impossible to express them in words, when we sleep on both ears and spend our lives in great carelessness, all that remains is to take these rewards with our left hand? Then an idle life would be highly valued, and everyone would admire the primacy in happiness of Sardanapal or, if you like, Margit, about whom Omir said (if only Omir’s poems are) that he was neither a plowman, nor a ploughman, nor a person capable of anything in life. But isn’t the saying of Pittacus more true when he said that “it is difficult to remain virtuous”? For indeed, even after a lot of hard work, we can hardly be worthy of those benefits, for which, as was said above, there is no example among human benefits. Therefore, we should not be lazy and exchange great hopes for a short rest, if we do not want to hear reproaches and endure punishment - not here from people, although this is important for someone who has intelligence, but at those judgment courts, wherever they may be, even underground or somewhere else. For someone who has sinned against his duty unwittingly, perhaps there will be some pardon from God, but for someone who has deliberately chosen something bad, there is no excuse why not endure greater punishment. What should we do? - someone will say. - What else is there to take care of the soul, freed from all other cares? Therefore, one should not serve the body, except for extreme necessity, but the soul must be given all the best, through wisdom, as if from prison, freeing it from communication with bodily passions, and at the same time making the body irresistible to passions. The belly needs to be supplied with what is necessary, but not too sweet, as those who invent some kind of table preparers and cooks do, searching all land and sea, collecting tribute, as if to some cruel ruler - these pitiful workers, suffering no less than those tormented in hell, who truly spin fire, carry water with a sieve, pour it into a leaky barrel, do not see the end of their labors. And to work beyond necessity on hair and clothes, as Diogenes put it, is characteristic of either the unfortunate or the offenders. Therefore, I affirm that we should consider being and being called a dandy just as shameful as living indecently and plotting against someone else’s marriage bed. For for someone with intelligence, what difference does it make between putting on a spectacular outfit or wearing the clothes of a commoner, as long as they provide sufficient protection from cold and heat? In the same way, you need to prepare other things for yourself, not exceeding your needs, and do not take more care of the body, but how much is good for the soul. For a husband, truly worthy of this name, to be dandy and preoccupied with his appearance is no less reproachful than to slavishly indulge in any other passion. To use every effort to ensure that the body is as elegant as possible is characteristic of a person who has not known himself and does not understand that wise rule that it is not just the visible that makes up a person, but a certain higher wisdom is required, through which each of us knows himself, what he is. And this is more impossible for those with an uncleaned mind than for someone with sick eyes to look at the sun. The purification of the soul (to say it at once and is enough for you) is to despise sensual pleasures, not to saturate the eyes with absurd ideas of miracle workers or the sight of bodies that incite voluptuousness, and not to pour damaged sweetness into the soul through the ear. For from this kind of music, passions usually arise - the products of slavery and baseness. But we must learn other music, which is better and leads to better things, which, using David, the creator of sacred chants, as the Scripture says, delivered the king from his fury. They say that Pythagoras, having met those who were drunk at a feast, ordered the flute player who was in charge of the feast, changing the tune, to play in the Doric mode, and the feasters were so brought to their senses by this game that, throwing off their wreaths, they dispersed in shame. And others, at the sound of the pipe, indulge in frenzy, like Corybantes and Bacchants. There is so much difference - whether to fill the ear with sound sweet singing or worthless! Therefore, we should participate less in this now dominant sweet singing than in any of the shameful deeds. But to dissolve the air with various vapors that give pleasure to the sense of smell, to anoint yourself with fragrant ointments, I am ashamed and forbid you. What would someone say about the fact that there is no need to pursue the pleasures of touch and taste, except that those who are devoted to the pursuit of these pleasures are forced to live like cattle, according to the whims of the belly and that which is below the belly. In a word, everything corporeal should be despised by one who does not want to wallow in bodily pleasures, as in mud. One must have as much affection for the body as, says Plato, it participates in the service of philosophy, expressing itself somewhat like Paul, who gives advice that one should not create “pleasing” to the body as a pretext for lusts (Rom. 13:14). Those who take care that the body is as elegant as possible, but despise the soul, which acts through the body, as worthless, how do they differ from people who take care of tools, but neglect the art that acts through the tool? Therefore, on the contrary, one must curb and restrain the body, like the impulses of a beast, and pacify the rebellions it produces in the soul, hitting the mind like a whip, and not completely weaken the reins of voluptuousness, and not neglect the fact that the mind is carried away by it, like a driver who is uncontrollably carried by unbridled horses. And we must remember how Pythagoras, having learned that one of his acquaintances was becoming very fat from physical exercise and overeating, said to him: “Will you stop building yourself an unbearable prison?” Therefore, they say, Plato, foreseeing that the body harms the soul, deliberately chose for the Academy a not entirely healthy place in Attica, so as not to allow the body to be too pampered, just as grapes are not allowed to grow into unnecessary branches. And I heard from doctors that extreme health is even dangerous. So, if excessive care for the body is useless for the body itself and serves as an obstacle to the soul, then to submit and serve the body is obvious madness. But if we learned to despise him, we would hardly be surprised at anything else from everything human. For what else would we need wealth for, who value bodily pleasures at nothing? I don’t see any need, unless, as the fables say about dragons, and then it gives some pleasure, to vigilantly guard buried treasures. But whoever has learned to behave nobly when considering such things is not at all capable of choosing anything base and shameful in deed or word. What is beyond need, be it Lydian sand or the work of gold-bearing ants, the more he will abhor it, the less he finds need for it. He will define the need itself by natural needs, and not by pleasures. For those who have transgressed the limits of their needs, like those rushing down a slope, having nothing in front of them to hold on to, do not stop anywhere in their striving forward, but the more they stretch forward, the more, in order to satisfy their desires, they need something equal to the previous one or even more, according to the saying of Eksikestidov’s son, Solon, who says: “In the wealth of people there is no obvious limit.” In this regard, you need to take Theognis as your teacher, who says: “I don’t like and don’t desire riches, but just to live a short life without encountering anything bad.” And I am amazed at the contempt for everything human in Diogenes, who proved that he is richer than the great king, because he has fewer needs in life. But for us, if we don’t have the same number of talents as Pythias of Mysia, don’t have so many acres of land, don’t have herds of cattle that couldn’t even be counted, we still don’t have enough. But I think that when there is no wealth, one should not desire it, and when it is, one should think not about the fact that you have it, but about whether you know how to dispose of it? A wonderful saying is from Socrates, who said about a certain rich man who thought highly of money that he would not be surprised until he found out whether he knew how to use it. Phidias and Polykleitos, if they had become much proud of gold and ivory, of which the first made Diya to the Ilians, and the other Iru to the Argives, they would have been ridiculed for the fact that, boasting of other people's wealth, they left aside art, from which gold became more pleasant and more precious. And we, assuming that human virtue in itself is insufficient for decoration, think about our action that it is less shameful! Will we really, having despised wealth and valued sensual pleasures, pursue flattery and caresses and begin to imitate the cunning and resourcefulness of Archilochus’s fox? A sane person should most of all avoid living for glory, conforming to the opinion of the majority, and not making right reason the leader of life; but, even if you have to contradict all people or incur dishonor and danger on yourself for something beautiful, in this case you should not decide to pervert what was correctly recognized. And whoever is not like that, let us say that he lags in some way from the Egyptian sophist, who, when he wanted, became a tree, a beast, fire, water and all things, if only he either praises the just before the admirers of justice, then he will begin to say the opposite when he notices that they approve of injustice, as is the custom of flatterers; and just as they say about a polyp that changes color according to the color of the earth that is under it, so will he change his thoughts according to the disposition of the people who are with him? But although we will learn this more perfectly from our writings, we will also outline, as it were, a certain shade of virtue this time from external lessons. Those who carefully collect benefits from every thing, as in large rivers, according to Hesiod, much usually comes from everywhere. For the poet’s saying: “Add little to little” must be considered correct not only about the increase of silver, but also about any title. Therefore, Vias, when the son, going to the Egyptians, asked what by doing he would especially please his father, he answered: “Get parting words for old age,” and called virtue as parting words, enclosing it within narrow limits; because he limited its benefits to the continuation of human life. And I, even if someone named me the old age of Typhon, or Arganphonius, or the old age of our most durable Methuselah, about whom it is said that he lived a thousand years less than thirty, even if he calculated all the time from the beginning of how people began to exist, I will laugh at this, as a child’s thought, stretching my gaze into that long and ageless age, in which it is just as impossible to comprehend the limit with one’s imagination as to assign and assume the death of an immortal soul. For this age, I would advise you to acquire parting words, without leaving, according to the proverb, not a single stone moved, if only it would benefit you. Let us not remain idle because it is difficult and requires work; but remembering the advice of the one who said that everyone should choose the most perfect life and expect that habit will make it pleasant, we will experience what is best. For it is a shame, having lost the present time, to subsequently try to return the past, which no amount of grief can do. So, what I recognize as the most important, I have told you in part now, and in part I will advise you throughout my life. And you, since there are three types of illnesses, do not find yourself like the terminally ill and do not discover in yourself an illness of the will, similar to the illness of those suffering from the body. For those suffering from an unimportant illness themselves come to the doctors; those obsessed with the most important illnesses call for doctors; and those who have fallen completely into the incurable disease of black bile and the doctors who come to them do not allow themselves to be seen, which may not happen to you today: do not run away from people who reason rightly! You might be interested in: